Travel Stories Week 6

TheRunAwayGal

What's your favorite place you have visited?

Cape Agulhas in South Africa, definitely! It was easily my favorite destination. Standing between two oceans at once? Oh, what a moment. Looking out over the ocean. Sitting, taking in the fresh cool air. Walking. Bird-watching. And knowing you are standing at the very end of the African continent. I literally cried. It’s as if my body was being vitalized and my eyes were filled with soaring birds and glorious views of the icy ocean and outrageous waves. As someone who’s mad crazy about the wonders of this world, you can imagine how happy I was to have made it to the Southernmost point of Africa.

What’s the best thing you have seen while traveling?

When I was traveling around Sri Lanka, I paid a visit to a Buddhist Sunday School. Not only was I introduced to Buddhism but I was also taught why contentment is an essential principle in life. I learned that one reason why children are discontent, especially nowadays, is that they are given too many choices about their sense pleasures — this is where contentment comes in. Contentment is an essential Buddhist principle and it amazed me to see how it was being taught to Sri Lankan kids as early as their young age.

What’s your best travel story?

At the age of 18, I was chosen to represent my home country to attend the 6th World Youth Congress in Brazil. Right then and there, I was mainly focused on putting myself on the shoes of policymakers, taking part in discussions on the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development Rio+20 solutions for a sustainable future – nothing more, nothing less. What really gave me a huge impact was when we took part in 50+ action projects in different parts of the city, getting some hands-on experience of doing community improvement projects in the Favelas of Rio de Janeiro. Never before had I realized how much power you can have once you’re given the opportunity to get out there and expose yourself to a different side of the world – a world you know nothing of, a world you did not grow up to. I met so many amazing global changemakers and I found it truly enriching to have the opportunity to converse with like-minded people. And I couldn’t help but examine how I can give back to this world as well – on what terms and how in my own little ways can I achieve this. From then on, I continuously aim to add meaning to my travels. Be it traveling responsibly, staying in a local home, learning local cultures, joining local projects, or just simply interacting with the locals.

Tell us about your blog…

The Runaway Blog is inspired by the definition of the title itself -- A runaway girl is a girl who wants to live the life the way she wants it. She wants to escape the town she grew up in and live a life full of adventure, happiness, and curiosity.

Nomarie Jean is a Filipina who grew up in a society telling her a list of to-dos and what-nots. As early as 20, she was already working in Singapore, earning a 6-figure salary, being praised for building a career at a very young age and "living the life" until she found herself breaking out of the vicious loop.

Now, The Runaway Gal has been her office ever since she quit her job and started to pursue a life of balance and purpose. To date, she's already been to 18 countries and now making her way to Europe starting August. The Runaway Gal is all about travel stories and meaningful travels. It specifically shares off-the-beaten-path destinations and stories about places and people that completely change her from within. She has recently started exploring filmmaking as well so you might see more videos in the near future. Her "14 Tips to Make Your Next Trip More Meaningful and Really Unforgettable" was the top favorite by her readers and she constantly tries to produce great content to help women, especially solo and female travelers, to explore their passion and pursue it.

For more from The Runaway Gal why not check out her brilliant website and social media pages

There are more than 190 countries in the world, each with their own unique flag. Each week we show you 9 flags from around the world and we simply ask you to tell us which country that flag belongs to.

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